The term includes neither the United States (except for Puerto Rico),
nor any of its fifty states, although a large part of its current
territory was colonized by Spain and was under Spanish or Mexican
rule longer than it has been under U.S. rule. (See History of
Florida, History of Texas, Mexican
Cession, and Gadsden Purchase.) While English is
the most widely spoken language by far in the U.S., it has not been
designated an official language (though some
states have done so), and Spanish-speakers compose the
second-largest language community nationwide.